When Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman returned to the field last Saturday against Iowa State after missing two games with an injury, his right leg was wrapped in a stabilizing brace.
Sooners coach Brent Venables expressed some concern postgame, saying he doesn’t like seeing defensive backs wearing braces. However, it didn’t appear to hinder the sophomore from Denton, Texas, as he played over half the defensive snaps and recorded two tackles in OU’s 27-13 win.
Bowman wore the protective gear mostly to keep his mind at ease, but also to help play free from the fear of reinjury.
“Yeah, the brace, I just wear it,” Bowman said. “I like it actually for comfort and for stability. I can go out there and play without it. But why take that risk of somebody falling on my knee, something like that? So, I just wear the (knee brace) for stability. And I like it. So, it's that type of deal.”
The former four-star recruit injured his leg on a kickoff return against TCU on Oct. 1. Last week, Venables didn’t commit to Bowman’s availability against the Cyclones, but said he’s a player who’s hard to slow down when it comes to rehabbing.
The first-year head coach said Bowman often pushes himself to exhaustion and he had to remind him to stay within the framework of recovery. Nevertheless, Bowman grinded his way back during Oklahoma’s bye week, eventually meeting his target date of return.
“My goal was to come back after the bye week,” Bowman said. “And I did that. I was in the training room attacking it, everything.”
In Bowman’s absence, sixth-year senior Justin Broiles and talented freshman Robert Spears-Jennings stepped up and delivered solid performances. Spears-Jennings registered the first four tackles of his career against Kansas while Broiles picked up three.
Sophomore defensive back Billy Bowman during the game against TCU in Fort Worth, TX on Oct. 1.
After reviewing the tape, both Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof were impressed with Bowman’s performance last Saturday in Ames despite his swift comeback.
“We honestly didn't know whether or not he’d be able to play at all,” Venables said. “And then after Thursday he still looked pretty good, but he's got that big ‘ole brace on, but he still functions. Billy's quick-twitched, he's fast and explosive and it really didn't seem to limit him tremendously. Mentally it might have, I didn't ask him. Sometimes you’ve got to be careful to ask questions that you're not prepared to hear the answer to.
“But he probably played a little more than we probably should have. I don't know what that means. He did fine. He graded well. To go from zero to 60, it’s no surprise. That’s what he's capable of. But that was more snaps than I thought that he would. He played pretty well. And the other guys played pretty well around him as well. He's a very tough, competitive guy. He doesn’t want to be off the field.”
Venables explained his reasoning Tuesday for being hesitant about Bowman’s return and dove into his process of allowing players to return to play once they’ve been cleared by trainers. Similarly to how he handled quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s concussion earlier this season, Venables erred on the side of caution.
“I just watch a guy run around,” Venables said. “He looks pretty good. My thing, my question is how do you feel? Is there pain? Is there swelling? I don't want to put him in harm's way, and that was my fear. From the trainers’ standpoint, he came back right on time. Everybody heals different. And he had a sprain, and then he was very diligent in all his rehab and recovery stuff. He’s a quick healer, he's never been hurt before.
“But he's handled it well. I think mentally is a big part of it, too, how a guy confidence-wise feels. And his confidence is through the roof.”
As Bowman continues to rehab his leg, he and the rest of the Sooners’ secondary are looking to prove last week’s defensive play wasn’t a one-off against Baylor at 2 p.m. Saturday in Norman on ESPN+.
The Bears boast weapons at receivers, including Gavin Holmes and Monaray Baldwin, and are led by efficient quarterback play from Blake Shapen, who leads the Big 12 in completion percentage.
“We've just got to take it day-by-day,” Bowman said Monday. “And it started today, which I felt like we had a great day at practice today. We come back tomorrow and have a great day of Tuesday practice. And so I feel like this is a good Baylor team. They like to run the ball a lot. And they pride themselves on being physical. And so we’ve just got to come up to show our second to last game in The Palace. So, we’ve got to do it.”
